Penn State moved into the top eight of the AP and Coaches polls this past Sunday, and now its in the top eight of the College Football Playoff poll as well.
Coach James Franklin’s team was previously No. 11 in the CFP rankings, and as it did in the other two polls, it moved up three spots.
Penn State is still the third-highest ranked Big Ten team, behind Ohio State and Michigan. Following Michigan’s 45-23 statement win over Ohio State in Columbus, Michigan is No. 2 and Ohio State No. 5 in the CFP rankings.
If Michigan beats Purdue Saturday and wins its second straight Big Ten Championship, it will be in the Playoff for the second year in a row. Ohio State still has a chance to sneak in, but will need some help. Elsewhere in the rankings, Georgia remains No. 1 after beating Georgia Tech to finish its regular season undefeated. All Georgia has to do is best LSU in Saturday’s SEC title game to make it to playoff for the third time in sixth years and be two wins away from repeating as national champs. TCU is ranked No. 3, and the undefeated Horned Frogs have to beat Kansas State in Saturday’s Big 12 championship to make it to the Playoff for the first time. USC has the fourth and final spot for now, and needs to beat Utah in Friday’s PAC-12 title game to get in. Like with TCU, it would be USC’s first time in the Playoff.
Penn State won’t be in the Playoff and doesn’t have a conference championship to play for. With the regular season done, all Penn State can do is prepare for its bowl game. It’s not yet known when, where or who Penn State will play, but a 10-2 regular season was certainly a successful one in Happy Valley.
